Two men were injured this morning, one of them critically after an electrical explosion occurred at a small construction site in the Hamilton area in Bloemfontein.
ER24 paramedics, along with another service, arrived on the scene to find two men lying on the side of the road next to a trench and excavation equipment.
Paramedics assessed the men and found that one man had sustained numerous burn wounds to his upper body, leaving him in a critical condition. The second man was assessed and found to have sustained only minor injuries.
Paramedics treated the men and provided the critically injured patient with advanced life support interventions. Once treated, the men were transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment.
It is understood that the men had been digging a trench when they exposed and hit a large electric cable. This allegedly caused an explosion which injured the men and caused a fire at a sub-station further down the road.
Fortunately, fire services were able to extinguish the fire after some time. Local authorities were on the scene for further investigations.